


I Want Some More (What Are You Waiting For?)

by HalcyonFrost



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alliances, Armor Kink, Clothing Kink, Desire, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, Flirting, Loki Does What He Wants, Loki's Party Armor, M/M, Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase One Compliant, Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase Two Compliant, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Power Play, Thor 3 -Ragnarok Divergent, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, not-subtle insinuations of demisexual!Loki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-12-02 18:19:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11514858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HalcyonFrost/pseuds/HalcyonFrost
Summary: "Here we go againI kinda wanna be more than friendsSo take it easy on meI'm afraid you're never satisfied"Loki's come to take his new allies back to Asgard to prepare for Hela's return, but Stark has more on his mind when they get there.





	I Want Some More (What Are You Waiting For?)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Where Did The Party Go?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10531488) by [HalcyonFrost](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HalcyonFrost/pseuds/HalcyonFrost). 



> Apparently a new trailer came out, like, _today_ , but I have been writing on this for weeks, and I haven't even seen the latest trailer, so SORRY IF THIS DOESN'T COMPLY WITH IT. I hope you can enjoy the canon divergent porn after all. xP 
> 
> **To skip the smut,** do a Find On Page/ctrl+F for *** (I recommend skipping after "Yes please" as just about the optimal place for avoiding all smut and catching enough of the plot/interactions~)
> 
> I'm guessing at how Loki's clothes zip or buckle or button or tie up. I've stared at those few gifs too many times, and they reveal nothing of that kind of information. D: I'm also playing fast and loose with events here. I theorized a ton after the newest trailer came out and making assumptions on timelines based on Thor's hair as to where they are and what Loki's wearing, but I have no freaking idea what's right. IT'S A CANON DIVERGENT AU, I DO WHAT I WANT.

No mortal had ever been so simultaneously enigmatic and a kindred soul. So easy to relate to and understand, and all at once constantly surprising. It was _thrilling_.

When Loki visited Stark's home, lured him out to a face-to-face meeting, Loki was expecting an attack to start and a long night to follow in attempting to convince Stark to join forces. Only it took less than ten minutes before Stark displayed an open interest in something more intimate than an alliance. It caught Loki off guard for a brief moment, but a quick glance inward revealed Loki was similarly interested in a way he hadn't been for a long time. It was unexpected for both of them, and especially with, but... not entirely unwelcome. Not when just a few flirts led Loki's imagination down a very long and salacious path that he was keen to explore further at a later date.

The terms of their professional alliance took some negotiating, and Stark was firm on bringing his own team, but he managed to convince Loki of the idea's advantages with less coaxing than it usually took to sway Loki. Stark didn't want to stay on Asgard, but Loki convinced Stark of the necessity when Asgard was the one in danger from Hela, and Stark had to begrudgingly agree. They both compromised on different things, but they agreed to each other's terms, worked out logistics of how and who and what was going up to Asgard with them, and Loki promised to return in a few hours to collect Stark and his companions, giving him time to prepare and convince them of the deal as well.

At the end of their successful negotiations, Loki had been a split second from returning to Asgard when Stark took a gentle hold of Loki's wrist. He slipped closer into Loki's space and kissed the edge of Loki's mouth with a smirk and sly "see you tomorrow" in a richly amused tone that said he knew how much he caught Loki off guard. Loki barely made it back to Asgard before collapsing on the nearest surface and lamenting that he chose such a distracting ally. He lamented how deep he'd gotten in over his head yet again, but unrelenting thoughts of Stark and the promise of a "right time" prevented Loki from regretting much. Or regretting anything.

It left him eager to return at the time frame they'd scheduled, only when Loki arrived, Stark was not alone with the two mentioned teammates, and the conversation with the agent Widow was obviously not a civil one. Perhaps Loki should have allowed Stark the privacy to conclude his conversation, but... No. It would be a waste of precious energy to return to Asgard and wait this out and return when called. Instead, Loki cloaked himself to watch the argument between Stark and his former team mate, while the other pair stood awkwardly to the side.

"-can't just go on vacation with two other Avengers." She'd argued. "It's a security issue. With the rest of the team on the run, it leaves us open to-"

"Then maybe Ross will realize he needs the people he tried to lock up." Stark defended. "Disasters tend to kick people in the balls about that stuff."

Her eyes narrowed, and she stepped forward threateningly. Stark didn’t even blink. "You're willing to risk a disaster just prove a point to Ross? What the hell happened to you, Tony?"

"You should know, Romanoff. You were there when it happened."

She faltered minutely, but Stark pressed onwards.

"I'm not abandoning a theoretical threat to go put my toes in the sand; I'm going to work on a real oncoming disaster elsewhere that will definitely leak down here if I don’t stop it. I only let you know I was going to be off-duty as a courtesy; I don't owe you anything more than that. You want help? Call Rogers."

"And how am I supposed to call him?"

"Try the phone he left me."

Her forced neutrality split into barely contained outrage. "The _what_?"

"The asshole left me a phone and a letter explaining himself. The phone is in the bottom drawer in the guest room dresser. The letter is reduced to cold ash in my trashcan. Any other questions?"

She gave him a look. "Just statements."

"Sorry, floor is closed to those. Keep a lookout, and I'll be back with the team as soon as we can."

"Where?"

"I got another friend."

" _Where_?"

"Call Asgard. See who answers. Bones? Escort service." On cue, a slender, silvery black Iron Man suit then stepped forward to await the spy. She regarded it with equal parts offense and hurt. "Agent Romanoff," Stark gestured to the exit, "I insist you allow my guard to help you on your way out the door."

She opened her mouth to say something else, but he turned his back to her to face his friends instead and said all he needed to without using another word. She grimaced at his back and glanced to the two remaining men as if asking them to say something, but they only looked to Tony themselves in a very obvious and immediate assertion of whose side they were choosing, leaving her little else to do but leave. Stark had his attention to a quartet of his other suits nearby, dozens of wires draping from each of them and connecting to various other machines.

"I know you did what you believed was right, Tony." She tried. "But so did I."

" _You let them go._ " Stark spun on his heel, the tool in his hand in a white-knuckled fist. "I risked everything trying to keep this team together, prostrated myself, _begged_ to _Ross_ for a second chance, a _third_ chance to keep them safe, and Rogers did nothing but lie." His volume quieted, but the rage and betrayal in his eyes didn't dim. "I tried to help him, and he turned his back. You and I tried to pull this team together, and Steve Rogers ripped it apart. I don't care what you believe anymore, and I don't trust a thing you say."

He tossed the tool back on his work table with a loud clatter and went back to his suits. "Take the escort, Romanoff. It's the last civil gesture you're going to get from me."

Her pain was hidden well behind a carefully practiced mask, but Loki had seen them enough on himself to see the signs. Romanoff didn’t attempt another olive branch, silently following the armor that led her to the elevator, and Stark didn't speak again until after the doors closed her off from the group.

"Friday, are the kids self-sustaining now?"

_"Road Trip update is at 91%, boss; two suits are ready, and Heartbreaker will finish in another ninety seconds."_

"I think you've got the 'army' part checked off now." Rhodes - if Loki remembered name and face together correctly from Stark's information last night - commented.

"The mage that fucked us up last time is saying the new old girl is bigger and better. I'm not going up there any less prepared than I can manage in the narrow time frame we have."

"If a deified alien king locked her away as a threat, I'm not sure there is enough preparation."

"Yeah, thanks for that rousing vote of confidence, Vis." Tony deadpanned. "Well, boys, shall we call up some royalty?"

"No need." Loki shed the cloaking spell, and the three startled with varying expressions of exasperation, Stark in particular leveling Loki with a half-hearted glare. "I arrived early, but I wasn't sure if should show myself in company."

"Natasha doesn't know you called. She wouldn't have left otherwise. Probably call SHIELD on me." Stark scoffed bitterly. "Because Steve tracking and running away with an ex-soviet assassin was not at all compromised, but anything can compromise me. Hypocritical-"

"We haven't met." Rhodes held out a hand as he talked over Tony's mutters. "I've seen a fair share of surveillance on you though."

"Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes." Loki stepped forward and shook his hand. "Stark speaks fondly of you. And you must be the one they call 'Vision.'" He turned to the other being, an artificial construct with a power Loki was too keenly familiar with. "I wouldn't have thought that anything good could come of that gem, but for once, I'm glad to be proven wrong."

"I believe it was used for wrong more than the power itself was evil." Vision said. "The gem is... pure logic."

"Mind over body." Stark interjected. "And over matter. In all the ways it could go good, bad, and vaguely unsettling. Control the gem over yourself, and you achieve a-"

"Higher state of consciousness." Vision finished over Stark, who muttered a hurried repeat and continued on after with a short glare at Vision.

"Control the gem against others and their mind and body is then yours." Stark completed hastily.

"Yes, I remember." Loki reminded.

"Yeah, but we figured out why, thanks to _science_. I bet magic couldn't do that." Stark phrased it like a challenge, and Loki never backed away from a challenge.

Loki pivoted on his heel to face and move towards Stark one slow step at a time. "I could show you all kinds of things magic can do that your science can't. Including controlling such things as that charming scepter. But I don't need a trinket to show you the wonders and terrors that magic - and I - are both capable of."

He didn't cede his ground, but Stark still gave Loki a thoroughly calculating look that, against Loki's will, he found quite attractive. Stark's narrowed eyes showed his suspicion, the slight turn of his mouth betrayed his amusement at being threatened, and his lax position made his trust obvious. He was judging the threat, but he wasn't threatened. And damn it all, but Loki delighted in that. Delighted in Stark's implicit trust of Loki's potential threat and certain capability while also trusting that Loki wouldn’t act against Stark. It was maddeningly attractive, and Loki should have discouraged himself from it, but he simply couldn't make himself find the time.

"Regardless," Loki turned to Stark's companions again to get them back on track, "anyone left that Stark trusts so much must be truly extraordinary, and I'm honored you would side with me."

"He _is_ good at pandering." Rhodes said.

"Told you." Stark turned back to his armor. "He's very honored, and we're very special. I like the way he talks."

"I'll be sure to utilize that." Loki noted, and Stark glanced over his shoulder shortly before looking away to attempt hiding the slight grin.

A mechanical chirrup preceded his AI speaking up, and Stark made a pleased sound and diverted his attention to the screens his designs were projected onto.

_"Road Trip update complete."_ The construct informed. _"Suits can now function independently of connection to my servers."_

"Excellent. Ready to go when you are, your highness."

Loki swept each of the suits into his pocket dimension, as agreed with Stark earlier, and then cast a created spacial rift at the end of the room for travel. All but Loki gave the portal a dubious look, but they stepped forward preparedly as Loki held out his hand to them. "I would advise you to close your eyes and hold on to each other."

"What would we see if we did open them?" Stark questioned without a breath, ever curious and sharp.

"More than your mind is capable of seeing." Loki stated firmly. "But if you'd like to test it and see whether or not you survive intact or survive with pieces of yourself lost to sights that capture you, please, do try." He very carefully didn't phrase it as a challenge, and Stark seemed to take it seriously with an uncertain glance at the rift and then back to Loki.

"So I'll be taking your hand on this blind walk then? Come on, boys, just like kindergarten - line up and take your buddy's hand." Readily stepping up and taking a firm hold of Loki's outstretched palm, Stark took the first brave step forward and followed as Loki led the Midgardians through the maw. Loki glanced back to be assured they were adhering to his advice - they were, but even through closed eyes, their heads were turned to follow the flashes and bursts of rainbow colored light that were still visible through their eyelids. The sight was spectacular; it would take anyone's breath away. And for any that were not prepared, it would take everything else away from them too. 

Warning them again would be a waste of breath, so Loki just focused on getting them down the short path to the other rift that dumped them directly into a deserted hallway in the palace. It was the best way to transport them to Asgard quickly; the trip took but a minute or two at most, but rift-walking took... training to cope with.

"This is some 'Wrinkle In Time' mess here." Rhodes sounded equal parts ill and fascinated.

"Trippy. I like it." Out of breath though he was, Stark was definitely approving.

"Rather normal to me." Vision didn’t even have uneven footing as he stepped forward to survey the surroundings. "Where are we?"

"These are the guest quarters." Offering a hand to each of the shaky humans, Loki allowed them to catch their bearings and adjust. "I thought you each might like a room to claim while you're here."

"Time frame?" Rhodes asked, his steps forward stilted in the half Iron Man suit that he wore.

"I managed to delay her for a short time, but it won't be long. At best, she'll attack at full strength in the morning. You should try to rest while you can."

"Yeah, I'll take that." Rhodes moved forward.

Loki continued to answer their questions as he led them each to their suites, but Loki had covered most of the details with Stark before, and it seemed he had shared every word while Loki was away. All for the better, it saved them time now. He couldn't say he felt well-prepared for Hela regardless, but Loki felt their chances were better with such valuable beings in the fight.

For the first time in many decades, the ones Loki desired to win were actually on his side. It was a handsome change.

He showed all three the rooms that were to be theirs so that they knew where each other would be, then cycled back again as they each retired to their respective chambers and tried to rest while they could. Stark's room was last, and Loki followed him inside to recall Stark's suits from Loki's pocket dimensions and leave them with their creator. At least, that was Loki's excuse, but in truth, he was unable to resist a few last words in private.

"Will your friends settle into their accommodations well?"

"Why wouldn't they, the size of the suites you gave each of them..." Stark turned back to face Loki with a daring raised chin and a neutral poker face that was betrayed by his teasing tone of voice. "If I didn't know better, I would think you're trying to compete with me. Considering they've grown accustomed to the kind of rooms _I_ usually give them."

Such casual banter was easy and welcome to fall into, and Loki gladly followed the call of the familiar. "And what makes you think I'm _not_ trying to compete? Or perhaps impress? They're not as easy to persuade as you were."

"Ah, but see, you were working the seduction at the same time, and that made me 12% more susceptible to your silver-tongued charms."

"And as I have no desire to seduce your friends, I suppose I'll resort to trinkets and favors instead."

"I'll put in a good word for you, King Midas." Stark assured as he pivoted to survey the chambers Loki had set aside for him. There was plenty in the room to occupy Stark, worth _at least_ an afternoon's thorough investigation to explore it, but Stark managed perhaps ten seconds of cursorily glancing about as he ambled around the perimeter of the room in a semi-circle, not seeming to take in much of what he looked over.

When he paused, it was with his back to Loki, and his voice even further away as he feigned that his mind was anywhere but far abound. "What are our chances against Hela?"

"The truth?"

"Might be nice."

Truthfully... even with Stark and his team, the chances were slim. Victory would be a matter of luck and hard fought to even get a chance at a lucky shot. And surely all three of them realized that as Loki explained the situation. But if they expected to lose, then they were going to lose. And Loki could not lose. Even a narrow hope was a hope. "I've survived worse odds."

Stark's shoulders shook with his scoff. "Yeah, we all have, haven't we? Barely have, some of those times, but..." Another deep breath swelled his chest before he squared his shoulders again. "But we're surviving for something. Or maybe we're just hard to kill."

"Perhaps we're simply styled to survive."

He turned on his heel to face Loki, a curl at the corner of Stark's mouth for a brief moment as he gave Loki another head-to-toe summary and far closer attention than he'd given their surroundings. Any ire Loki had for Stark's dismissal of the room faded in favor of attention to Loki himself.

"What was that about style?"

"I didn't mean fashion."

"Yeah, you wouldn't with the party armor there." Stark nodded pointedly at Loki's outfit.

The- what? " _Party armor?_ "

"The outfit that's pretty much good only for looking good and pretending it's real armor. Party duds." He tilted his head to the side. "I kind of miss more of the green, actually."

"Do you often think of what I'm wearing?"

"If I lied and said no, I'd be even more obvious." Stark strutted forward, eyes narrowed as he seemed to analyze Loki's garb. "Does the cape come off?" He jabbed a finger at the offending piece and tilted his head quizzically.

"As much of it as you like can come off." Loki led, but Stark either didn't notice or ignored it.

"Separate from the rest, I mean. And is magic a necessity for changing wardrobe?"

"I can't rely on magic for everything." Releasing his slightly disappointed sigh in a subtle exhale, Loki fished his fingers under the pauldrons for the cloak release on his left shoulder. He looked away for but a few seconds, but when the clasp clicked unlocked, suddenly there were rough hands on his, threading between Loki's fingers and feeling for the trick of the costume. He flicked his gaze back to meet Stark's where he stood less than a hand's width from Loki's chest.

_I didn't think he could move so quietly. Or so quickly._

_But what does it matter? He's here in front of you, asking how and helping you remove clothes. Now is not the time for second-guessing. This is as obvious as it gets._

"So this is how it works?" A calloused finger tip stroked alongside Loki's where it still held the hidden hook. Loki just nodded, and Stark blindly moved his other hand to find the clasp on the right side by feel alone. "Good to know."

And without further ado, Stark pressed up on his toes and kissed Loki. Just a small, testing brush of lips as he gauged Loki's reaction, and Loki was very happy to show his good reception. He shifted his hands to Stark's waist under his finely tailored jacket, finding the slight curve above his hips and settling there. The unleashed cloak and pauldrons fell from Loki's shoulders with a rapid swish and clank of metal landing in a pile on the floor, Loki swaying back with the release of the weight and inadvertently breaking the kiss. Stark didn't remove his hands.

"That's much better." Amber brown eyes locked onto Loki's again, few words from the inventor's mouth, but a whole conversation in his gaze.

Loki's turn. "Shall I show you how to remove the rest?"

"Yes, please."

Loki leaned in for the kiss this time, entangling his fingers with Stark's and guiding his hands down to the closures at the side of his jerkin. Stark undid the lacing with unnerving ease and speed that would have bothered Loki more if those same hands hadn't immediately slipped underneath, quickly un-tucking enough of the undershirt from his pants to brush a hand against Loki's bare skin. The unfamiliarity sent a shudder down his body that Stark could feel at his fingertips of course, and he pulled back from Loki's lips gently even as Stark's hands retreated to start tugging the jerkin looser.

"How long's it been?" He asked delicately.

"Long." Loki admitted. "Few attract my attention, and quite some time has passed since I've felt any inclination to act."

"And again you thought of me. You do know how to make a guy feel special." Stark put his hands in Loki's again and coaxed him to continue to reveal the ties of his pants next. They didn't stay that way long; Stark's deft fingers worked their own magic at working Loki's clothes off. "Just another way I'm your, what did you call me? Your-" Stark pulled at the unlaced strings sharp enough to jerk Loki's hips forward towards Stark, "- _type_?"

_This man will kill me without a single weapon in his hand._ And Loki was going to let him - possibly even encourage it just to see what Stark had in mind. "You seem to already know that answer."

"I do." He slipped his hand between Loki's legs and brazenly grasped his shape through layers of fabric, shocking a pleased hiss out of Loki. "But I'm partial to flattery."

Loki leaned back only as far as it took to take the jerkin off over his head and then slipped his hands under Stark's, not so subtly directing Stark to let Loki help divest Stark of his own clothes, wanting, _needing_ to see and have more. Before either of them thought better of this. "You wouldn't be here with me if you weren't."

Stark caught on shortly and led Loki's hands under the lapels of Stark's jacket. "That might be true." He rolled his shoulders and shook the jacket off. Loki only briefly registered that the feline image on Stark's shirt was somewhat infantile, but then Loki realized he really didn't care what was on the shirt so long as it came off. "But you're missing another important aspect of why I'm here."

"To save the world?" Loki was interrupted in removing Stark's clothes by Stark loosening Loki's still half-tucked undershirt, their movement becoming less nimble in their growing haste.

"Precipitating factor, but not the thing I was thinking of." Stark jerked Loki's shirt off roughly, causing them both to sway enough that they had to grasp each other's forearms to right themselves after. Stark took the pause to stare at Loki's bared chest before grinning and glancing back to Loki's face as he tossed the clothing to the side. His own shirt, Stark took care of himself, grabbing the bottom and stripping it off in a beautiful, stretched display of every newly revealed muscle.

Loki found it impossible to keep his hands away, admiring the faintly heaving chest, over the scarring of a life rougher than most, before having to sweep his hands up to cup Stark's cheeks and draw him closer, their mouths holding just a breath apart for a kiss. "And if not that? What were you thinking of?" Loki pressed, as Stark's sharp eyes alternately bored into Loki's, flickered down to his mouth, and back up. "What brings you here?"

"The fact that you're my type too." Stark breached the last bit of space and kissed Loki hard with a hunger Loki hadn't felt in years, a choked moan from one of them lost in both of their mouths. Stark slid his hands into Loki's hair, keeping him there, not seeming to hold back an ounce, and Loki felt dizzy with the force, only to crave it more. Stark broke away too soon, toeing off his shoes as Loki followed suit, at last methodical in finishing to strip themselves bare and leaving not a single moment for rest. "Mischievous intellectuals that use their brains for black, white, and all the grey in between?" Stark narrated as Loki tucked his hands into the front of Stark's pants and started to walk backwards towards the bed while Stark had his hands working Loki's pants down his hips in the tiny increments he could manage while still moving. "Not to mention gorgeous as hell?"

Stark shoved Loki back, and Loki didn't fight it, letting himself fall onto the bed and take advantage of the position to peel his pants off the rest of the way. Stark was looking down Loki's body again - lust and anticipation and far too many more things for Loki to all read as they flashed across Stark's face. "Yep." Stark said with a decisive nod as he drew his lower lip between his teeth for a moment. "Definitely checks all my boxes."

"Then why don't you come get me?" Loki purred and crooked a finger to bid Stark forward. Stumbling to follow, Stark fished a metallic square of something out of his pocket and took it between his teeth as he pulled his pants off. Loki shuffled up towards the head of the bed and reclined comfortably to admire the view of the growing shape of Stark's arousal bobbing as he crawled after on his knees.

As Stark straddled Loki's lap with confidence and tucked the crinkling square under his own shin, Loki brushed his hands up the sides of Stark's legs, curving around the swell of his rump in appreciation. "Do you want to see just how good a fit I can be?" Loki offered, casually attempting to assess Stark's intentions.

"Oh, I can tell you'll be perfect. But there's only one way to be sure."

Stark's smile was too gorgeously filthy as he rubbed forward against Loki's member in question, and Loki thought, not for the first and not likely last time, that Stark was sure to ruin him in all the ways Loki enjoyed to be ruined.

"You got anything to _ease the way_?"

Loki twisted his fingers in the air to summon a vial of oil and offered it to Stark. "Any more requests?"

Stark pressed himself welcomingly back into the squeeze of Loki's free hand, but Stark still shook his head. "You can just enjoy the show." With another infuriatingly agile move, Stark popped the stopper from the vial with just two fingers while still holding the bottle in the same hand. He tipped a liberal amount into the opposite palm and rubbed his fingers together to slick them and warm the oil, then jutted his chest forward in an indecently attractive curve as he slipped the hand behind himself.

Loki couldn't stay idle; he moved one hand inwards from Stark's hip and gave a tentative brush that made Stark's length twitch and his breath stutter. His eyes were unwavering from Loki's; a gaze too intense to match Loki's assumptions of Stark's motives, only he was distracted from further debate by the flutter of Stark's eyelids and the beautiful noise he made as he breached himself. Loki took a firmer grip of Stark then, earning a sharp curve to the mortal's grin as he bucked forward into Loki's hand and rolled back onto his own fingers.

He was a sight to weaken even the strongest men, and Loki was no exception. But where his strength failed, his curiosity was endless, and surely even a self-proclaimed playboy could not switch from enemies to lovers in just a few hours. If he only ever considered Loki an enemy, they would not be here, like this, which led Loki to a compelling possibility.

"You've thought of me like this before." Loki stated more than asked, and Stark grinned. "Haven't you?"

"You've been gorgeous from the moment we met. My subconscious saw fit to explore that in dreamland a time or two. Wasn’t like I could appreciate more while awake when we were at odds though."

"And now?"

"Now I'm into hands-on appreciation and saying 'fuck it' to party lines. There's no 'good versus evil' anymore. Just the next fight to protect what we love."

There was a long moment of eye contact too deep to be anything but unsettling, and Loki could have broken it and broken the whole moment, but he wouldn't. Not when he knew exactly what he saw in Stark's impossibly bright and deep eyes. Not when he'd seen the same in himself. "I agree." Loki finally said and didn't miss the faint upward tilt to one side of Stark's mouth.

Bringing them back wasn't terribly difficult with a loose fist around Stark's member and a thumb swiping across the head. The serious look melted from Stark's face in but a moment as he gasped for the touch. "How lucky for us to find a mutual appreciation for each other now."

Stark slid his free hand up Loki's chest and wrapped his fingers around Loki's shoulder. "I can agree to that too." Grip tightening, Stark arched himself forward with a sharp breath drawn through his teeth and his arm tensing where it disappeared behind his back.

This was indeed Stark's show, and Loki let Stark run it as far as he wanted, allowing him to take this act of rebellion to limits that were surely more conservative than Loki's. The unfortunate reality was that they were barely allies and might remain so only for the fight that Loki requested their help. Even if Stark was attracted as he claimed, this might still prove to be a one-time event. That was truly unfortunate but very likely. Except, when there was but one chance, to lie here and let it pass over and through him would be a missed opportunity that Loki would regret. Stark made rather sure claims of fondness for style, after all, and passivity was very much not Loki's style. Perhaps there could be a middle ground between following Stark's lead while following Loki's own tastes.

He pulled himself upright, trapping their lengths in the narrow space left between their chests, and Stark readily bent down to meet his lips. A coil of possessiveness wormed around in Loki's gut and was summarily ignored, gathering his strength to drag this act out with all he had. When they had but one chance, he would make it a good memory. Loki brought them close as if to kiss but held him at bay a breath apart for a brief, teasing second before shifting to set his mouth the curve of Stark's throat instead. Stark released a groaning sigh that Loki felt under the skin against his lips as he trailed wet, languid kisses down the taut tendon. Fingers scraped up his shoulder, tangled up in Loki's hair, Stark panting in Loki's ear and the head of Stark's cock rubbing itself into Loki's abdomen, right next to the upward curve of Loki's own arousal.

"'S nice," Stark slurred approvingly and moaned outright when Loki moved his hand from their cocks up to rub over Stark's pebbled nipples. "'S _really_ nice."

"I said my interests were infrequent," Loki sucked not-quite-hard-enough to leave a mark but more than enough to send a shiver through Stark's trembling form. "I didn't say I was unpracticed."

Stark's laughter wasn't much when he was short on breath, but he shifted and curved his whole body sharper into Loki's with more intent and scratched short fingernails against Loki's scalp. "I won't question that."

He tugged back just slightly on Loki's hair and coaxed Loki into looking up. Seeing Stark's face and shoulders suffused with blood, his expression so lax and open, unexpectedly trusting, Loki could have swallowed Stark up then and there, produced bindings for Stark's pleasure, pulled every trick Loki had in his book to seduce Stark into staying of his own free will, just for Loki to see that face over and over again. Loki didn't truly want for much, but what he did, he worked to get by almost any means necessary.

"You know, I think I might need your help after all." Stark said, an oddly soothing pattern in the way his fingertips combed through Loki's hair. "Just to get to riding you sooner."

Curious, Loki slipped the hand still on Stark's hip back to blindly feel where his fingers stretched himself, mildly surprised to find he was already up to several and still working. "Losing your patience, are you?"

"I'm going to let that tease slide since you obviously haven't looked in the mirror lately and don't fully understand how _ridiculously_ attractive you are usually, now amplified to the power of about fifty."

"I'll take your word for it."

"You'll just have to." Stark shifted his hand to Loki's chest and encouraged him to lean away. Retrieving the metallic square from under his leg, Stark bit one corner between his teeth and tore open the outer packaging while slowly pulling his fingers from himself.

"You figure this out?" He presented the square's contents to Loki for inspection, but Loki only needed a glance to know what it was.

"As I said: not inexperienced. Protection for you that I get to wear, yes?"

Stark nodded with a soft smile. "Head of the class, your highness."

"My reward is getting to be in a position to wear it, I assume."

He pushed Loki fully onto his back again. "Right again." Popping the tip up, Stark rolled the sleeve carefully over Loki's length, the touch unabashed and not shy in the slightest but still careful on oversensitive flesh as Loki hissed a sound even he wasn't sure was purely pain or pleasure at this point. His body was overreacting to stimulation it had forgotten, and Stark locked his eyes on Loki's face, attentively watching the tremors of arousal and self-restraint that had begun to take over Loki's body, his hand drifting up above his head to take a fistful of pillow into a tight grip to calm himself.

For a brief moment, Stark looked like he was about to ask something, but before Loki could tell him to not _dare_ stop, Stark seemed to read as much in Loki's slight glare, and instead shuffled forward into position, placing a sure hand on Loki's chest as Stark leaned forward. Taking a firm hold behind him of Loki's cock, Stark rubbed the tip down the part of his cheeks to the stretched pucker, ever the tease even when playing at mercy. Stark's name fell unintentionally from Loki's mouth on a groaning exhale, and Stark froze so suddenly that Loki stuttered to a halt himself.

But Stark only smiled slightly softer and leaned in close to brush their lips together. "How about you call me 'Tony' tonight, 'kay?" And just as Loki had time to meet Stark's eyes again, Stark abruptly drew himself upright and bore down. As Loki's hips bucked up to chase the feeling, the unfamiliar name came to Loki's voice easier than he thought it would, and Stark's approving grin splitting exertion-reddened cheeks would forever color Loki's association with the informal moniker.

Releasing the hand from Loki's member, Stark shifted instead to spread his palm on Loki's thigh to balance himself as Stark worked down in gradual but sure motions. His lower lip was caught between his teeth, continually breaking free to heave a stressed and short breath in and out, his face slack even as the rest of his body was tense with effort. Loki stroked his free hand up Stark's thigh, settled at the crease of his hip, skimming in to take another gentler hold of Stark's member and smooth sensation into nothing but burning pleasure. He was tighter than Loki might have imagined, though it seemed to be to Stark's enjoyment, going by the distinctly fervent tone to his whines, and it only drove Loki further over the edge with want. Blistering heat engulfed Loki's cock inch by inch, his head buzzing with desire, every shift and touch to his overheated skin like another brand. Even once finally seated, Stark barely took a moment's pause before rutting against him in the barest motions, never still, always shifting and moving.

_Ohhh, you could become an addiction._ Loki thought, and when Stark grinned, open-mouthed and bright as he drew himself up a short distance and dropped down hard to pull groans from them both, Loki had to admit that Stark perhaps was a far greater threat than realized and not in the way Loki first thought Stark would be.

Loki may have been ridiculed over the years for his disinterest in bedding anyone that gave him a smile and a purr, but oh, it was worth any wait to return to a partner that was a _joy_ to lay with. While Loki had to admit that their timing could be considered questionable, for them, this was exactly what they needed - Stark needed a release of tension and energy, and Loki needed to reconnect and remember what he fought for other than spite. Amusing how Loki found it with a former enemy. Amusing and oddly fitting.

As Stark found his equilibrium, he wasted no time in setting a hard rhythm to beat, and Loki eagerly spread his own legs and bent his knees to better rise and meet every motion. The relentless force of Stark's hips had Loki scrabbling for purchase with his fingers finding any dimensional shape of the headboard that he could grasp and use to steady himself, ironically bewitched by the vision of the mortal over him. There was little slowness or gentility in this; Stark moved with passion edged with an urgency one ounce short of desperation, though Loki couldn't be sure what Stark was so desperate for, and there was little ability to consider it in depth at the moment. Not while watching him work and shift the angle of his fall just slightly each time until he inevitably found the exact right spot in the exact right way to make his toes curl as he threw his head back with a throaty groan and a high, hitched breath and dug his fingers into Loki.

Releasing Stark's filling cock, Loki took to exploring the rest of his lover's body, the calloused pads of his fingers catching every uneven patch of scarred skin both visible and unseen that littered Stark's torso as he keened and worked himself on Loki. Head rolling back forward, Stark's eyes found Loki's, finding something impossibly intense in the blown depths. Loki felt something inside of him crack wide open, and he raced to distract from it, pulling Stark down and directing him into a kiss that barely qualified as one - messy and ravenous and something possessed. Stark curled over him, both hands cradled between them on Loki's chest and Stark's hips never faltering in their inexorable motion. Loki was mesmerized by it - its own heartbeat rhythm of push and pull, in and out, the hard beat and the soft slow draw, dizzying and delighting and distracting and sending away every thought but of Stark and his body and the sensations each drew from Loki like a spell.

"Is it as good as you remember?" Stark questioned against Loki's lips.

"Better. But that could just be you."

Stark laughed, barely audible and so close Loki wanted to pull Stark in and swallow down every lovely noise he made. "That part is very likely," he agreed before stealing another kiss. "Knew it was worth it to go easy on you."

Loki's thoughts stuttered. " _Easy_?" Oh, he would show Stark _easy._

Shifting one hand high between Stark's shoulders and the other to his lower back, Loki gave a calculated push and flipped Stark onto his back. The suddenness shocked a startled gasp as Stark landed, arms falling out at his sides as he stared wide-eyed up at Loki now looming over Stark and still slotted between his legs. Stark was surprised, but his erection hadn't flagged any even as Loki had slipped out of him. Making to assuage Stark's apprehension, Loki dropped his voice to a purr as he placed with a kiss to the corner of Stark's lips. "Do _I_ need to go _easy_ on _you_?"

Frantic calculation melted away from Stark's eyes in exchange for renewed interest, and he easily drew his legs up around Loki's hips, setting his feet on the bed between Loki's thighs. The smirk reached Stark's eyes before it even turned his mouth. "Don't you dare."

"I'm almost tempted to now. Just to _dare._ " That got a scoff out of Stark, but Loki conceded as he got to his knees and reached to pull down an extra pillow and tuck under Stark's hips. "But I think I'd rather see how long you can hold out against me rather than how long I can make you hold out, just waiting for my mercy." The likely images that inspired seemed to flood and short circuit Stark's brain for a moment as his expression glazed over flatly and then contorted in helpless torment.

"You are too much." He groused with very little complaint. "And I'm sort of wishing we had gotten to this before the latest potentially world destroying threat."

"We'll take the time we can." Loki tried neutrally, only to pause when Stark's hand found Loki's cheek in a touch that could almost be construed as an attempt at comfort. And it was thoroughly confusing Loki.

"Nothing like a 'we're all going to die, we might as well fuck' affair, right?"

"And yet, we always do survive, and it only makes matters awkward afterwards." Loki had seen it more than enough around him and a seldom few times to him, and he should have known better in this instance, but... it was just that Stark was a perfect fit for Loki's very rare type, and Loki found his will weakened against the uncommon pull. Weakened against Stark's wit and unconventionality and devilish gleam in even the barest flicker of expression on his face. Stark made Loki weak, and yet Loki only felt strengthened by the mortal's presence. Conflict in every meaning of the word. More fittingly, it was _chaos_ , but perhaps that was exactly what attracted Loki.

Stark carded his fingers back across Loki's temples, pushed his hair back from his face, and settled on either side of his neck. "Well. Then I guess we'll break tradition and make history, won't we?"

Yes... Yes, Loki supposed they would. For many more reasons than avoiding unnecessary shame in the night's afterglow or tomorrow's aftermath.

Loki spread Stark's legs open with the crook of an elbow at the bend of his knee to bare his body for Loki. "I look forward to it."

Taking himself in hand, Loki guided his way back into the willing body under him, their breaths catching, and Stark hiding a wanton moan in a sharp exhale of air as Loki pressed deeper. Moving slowly seemed far too tiring, but watching Stark's blazing expression as he clung to Loki was more than worth it. Stark squirmed at even a second's rest when Loki paused at his depth; such impatience tempting to test if only Loki wasn't so close to his own finish. It was a shame they didn't have more time to explore each other, but with the right methods, it didn't have to take time for Loki to leave an impression.

As Loki drew back leisurely, Stark tried to still himself, only to clutch Loki's shoulders tighter with the effort. Loki rolled forward again just as slowly, and Stark groaned plaintively.

"Oh, god, you're not going to drag the whole thing out this much, are you?" He wasn't complaining all that seriously though, it seemed, as his length was still twitching against where it brushed Loki's stomach.

"Just a tease. I would hate to break you already."

Stark matched Loki's sharp, provoking grin and slipped his hands down to grasp Loki's thighs firmly as Loki persisted with his slow pace. "You are too much." Stark echoed his assessment again. " _More._ "

This time, Loki snapped his hips against Stark's, and the wailed out _"yes!"_ was definitely more pleased. The retreat made him whine, only to shout at the next hard thrust. As soon as Loki didn’t stop or slow again, Stark started working to get his own back, arching up and digging his heels into Loki's bottom, obviously seeking out that certain angle again. It only took a few shifts to find the spot Stark was so keen on earlier. And Stark was not quiet on wanting more.

"There! Fuck, right there!" Loki rode it harder with sharper accuracy until Stark dissolved into mumbled curses of approval and ecstasy. Loki set his mouth to Stark's throat and shoulder again, salt on Loki's tongue and Stark's voice as physical as it was audible. His hands found their way back up and buried into Loki's hair, inadvertently tugging just slightly, and Loki groaned unthinkingly against Stark's skin. Loki felt the laugh before it fell from Stark's mouth, and Loki was momentarily mortified before the touch softened and transitioned to those unfairly soothing patterns scratched over his scalp like a massage.

"I was going to say I like your hair free like this," The rough voice came from right by Loki's ear, followed by a teasing bite to his earlobe, "but I think you do too."

Loki restrained himself from confessing that he hadn't had the opportunity to receive gentle touches of late, finding something else placating enough to say instead. "I'm becoming fond of your 'hands-on appreciation,' as you call it."

"I'll give you all you can stand."

And from Stark, Loki thought he could stand quite a lot. From Stark's hands calloused from fine work but softened with care, to his talented mouth and beautifully pliant and firm body, every inch a match to Loki's every lurid fantasy, and Stark willingly sought Loki's bed. Perfection was not a strong enough word.

Stark buried his face in Loki's throat with a softly pained but pleasured sound and pulled his thighs tight about Loki's body, Stark's moans steadily reaching a sharper pitch as they pushed closer and closer to their peaks. Loki nearly faltered when he heard his own name from Stark's lips, and he pulled back to their mutual startlement to watch Stark seconds from release.

"Say it again." Loki demanded, and focus struggled to flicker in Stark's face. "Say my name again."

Stark pulled a wide grin. " _Loki_." That time, Loki could not even bother to feel ashamed of his own groan as he sped his rhythm. Stark tensed more, eyes glazing over and finally falling shut as he called out _Loki's_ name in pleasure and completion.

Loki ducked his head down as he untangled his arm from Stark's leg and supported himself with a hand on the bed on either side of Stark's ribs. Licking a wide stripe up Stark's throat, Loki set his eyes on Stark's cock still twitching and weeping between their chests. Stark hadn't stopped chasing the coattails of his release, clenching and rutting down against Loki in a spectacular and shameless display that sunk its hooks deeper into Loki's head and ensnared him more than he should have allowed.

"Beautiful." It came out a whisper that he didn't even mean to say aloud but couldn't find the focus to correct the slip. As Stark seemed to reach his end, Loki slowed enough to avoid pushing into unpleasant over-sensitivity while trying valiantly to finish himself with just a little more friction. It took just a moment of Loki losing focus again for Stark to slip his hands forward to Loki's cheeks and draw him into a heated kiss so intense it sent Loki hurtling over the edge in moments and a last deep push forward with a thankfully (mostly) mute moan into Stark's mouth.

Even then, Stark didn't release Loki immediately, instead holding him in place and very gradually softening the kiss back to something less chaotic as Loki finally stilled inside Stark. Loki tilted his head up to press his lips to Stark's temple, down to his cheekbone, and Stark hummed a satisfied sound as he relaxed bonelessly, still entangled with Loki.

Loki withdrew with care and settled on his back beside the mortal as they caught their breath, their damp skin starting to feel less pleasant as salty sweat turned sticky. He spared a hand wave over their bodies to skim it off, and Stark chuckled a rasping, amused thing.  
***  
"I knew you had to have sex spells." Stark said and hummed contently again. "Though I'm still not writing off that most of that could have been more unseen spells because this," he gestured vaguely between them, "was... _really nice._ "

Nice. Loki was nice. How quaint. "So glad you were impressed." He returned dryly.

"Did I say 'nice' in an unimpressed way? Because I meant it in the way of not being able to think of a word that properly covers it. My brain is still coming back to me." Stark rambled, but Loki couldn't hear the lie, and offense transitioned to bemusement as Stark continued. "Seriously. Fantastic. Really glad we did it. _Heh_. In more ways than one, to turn a phrase."

"You can stop now." Loki chastised, unable to hide the amusement from his own voice.

"Yeah, I should do that." And Stark quickly snapped his mouth shut.

As they quieted, somehow, the air felt even more charged with something almost awkward, and Loki felt a familiar pang of regretting allowing this to happen when it ended as it always did - laying here waiting for his partner to find a way to dismiss Loki as most one-off affairs went. So Loki saved Stark the trouble and did it himself. 

Loki sat up and moved to the edge of the bed decisively, disappointed but unsurprised. "I should leave you to sleep."

"Wait." Stark caught Loki's arm as soon as he moved. "You going to sleep?"

Loki briefly debated lying, but even without seeing Stark's face, Loki could imagine it and know what would be staring back. He knew Stark would be just as convinced by the lie as Loki was of himself. What awaited them in the morning was not something Loki could find restful.

He looked over his shoulder to Stark and answered honestly. "No."

The smile hardly reached Stark's eyes, but his grip and tug on Loki's bicep was insistent. "Me neither. So why stay awake alone?" When Loki just stared, Stark pulled again until Loki gave in and moved back. "C'mon. Come back to bed."

Cautious, Loki slipped back in and under the covers while Stark did the same and resettled. While he didn't cuddle up to Loki by any means, Stark did shift to lay closer, his shoulder brushing Loki's.

For several moments, they said nothing. No sighs, no movement, just their calming breathing as they stared straight ahead at the ceiling towering above them. It was worse than returning to his chambers alone, and if Stark was going to request Loki stay, then Loki would not hold his tongue on the question that surfaced in his mind the second Stark took off Loki's cloak.

"Why ask for this tonight, Stark? Why with me?" 

"Because whatever happens, I don't want to regret missing something." 

Loki flipped over on to his side, and Stark fixed him with a forced neutral expression. "You would regret _not_ laying with me?"

"I've always liked your style." Stark said easily. "We just happened to be on opposing sides. And now we're not, so no more conflict about it."

Just like that. Perhaps Stark was madder than Loki thought. "You make it sound so simple."

"Can't it be the one thing in life that is simple now?"

Ahh. Not madness. There it was again - desperation and urgency for something he didn't have because what he _did_ have was suffocating him. What he did have was what put the haunted look and the lines on his face. It actually made what they just did the very opposite of simple, but not all truths were good to voice. Maybe a lie would be kinder here.

"I'll allow that. We are simple." Loki agreed, and maybe Stark believed the lie, and maybe he didn't, but he did soften slightly, and Loki relaxed back in bed. 

The awkwardness didn't abate much as they laid back down, but Stark spoke first and then didn't stop.

True to both of their words, neither of them managed sleep in the following hours. Instead, they talked of anything and everything that could fill the silence and put off thoughts of the impending threat of what morning would hold. The stiff mood made way for something deep and disconcertingly open, as if their chests had been ripped open and everything they'd kept locked away for so many years spilled between them. As Stark told of his past, of the intricacies that he rarely shared with another soul, so Loki finally shared the same, some things for the first time. Of late, Loki had not had another he could trust, let alone anyone that would truly listen and understand, but by some twist of fate, Stark did understand and even experienced similar betrayals and trials himself. It felt cruel to only just discover this on the cusp of possibly losing it. But if this was the time they had, then Loki would be sure to not regret missing it.

When the morning came and brought the warning bells of Hela's return, they both slipped from bed with haste and Loki let his full armor wash over him as Stark dug into his bag, retrieved his undersuit, and pulled it on seconds before Rhodes and Vision came through the door to Stark's chambers, both men suited up and ready.

"It's time." Loki said. 

"Let's go, kids." Tony clapped his hands and stepped into the thick, red and gold armor that opened for him. Loki tried to appreciate the sight, but couldn't bring his focus to it enough to do so. 

Every ounce of tension that had lapsed from Loki's body in the past few hours now flooded back in until his own skin felt like it was crawling. Adrenaline would work against him this early, so it was best to calm now and approach the battle with a level head. He _had_ to be level, or it would be over before it started, and too much was at stake to lose this fight. 

Loki felt a heavy hand on his shoulder before Stark stepped up in Loki's peripheral view. "So. I see the green is back." 

Perhaps if Loki could have concentrated more, he would have been able to hide his smile. "I felt inspired to return."

"And the hair freeing headpiece?"

"I had a similar one in my youth. It's much lighter in battle."

"Uh-huh." Stark's smug grin was unconvinced by Loki's excuses. "Not every day I can say I've inspired a god."

"I would hope you wouldn't do things like that with every god you meet."

"Nope. You're definitely a special exception. My favorite kind." 

Loki hoped the Norns would be merciful enough to them both that they would live for Stark to inspire Loki another day.

"Tony," Rhodes leveled Stark with a very serious and seriously exasperated look, "I have to ask: did you or did you not sleep with the alien king?"

Stark only looked mildly abashed as he ducked his head and put his hands back at his sides, but there wasn't an ounce of regret when he glanced back up to Loki's face. "Yep."

Body language wasn't terribly evident, but Loki could hear the armor whir at Rhodes' slump and a sigh was evident in his tone. "Of _course_ you did. Why am I not surprised?"

"Because you know me better than anyone, Rhodey."

"Sometimes I'm really not all that sure that I do." 

Tony brushed in close to whisper to Loki: "We win, I'm inclined to do it again."

Oh. That was incentive. "Well, then we best win."

"I agree." Tony grinned before the helmet unfolded from the back of the suit to shield his face. "Let's go kick some ass and save the world."

**Author's Note:**

> [This song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=280IZQ5oBx8) inspired a lot of the mood for this. Seductive with that underlying feeling of foreboding. I was sold from the first verse, naturally. :P This artist does _amazing_ minor key remakes to a ton of songs, including American anthems, popular pop and rock songs, _even Disney classics_ , and I am addicted to pretty much all of them.
> 
> Disclaimer on canon inclusion, I never, ever, ever, _ever_ have the end of IM3 in any fic of mine. Those suits were never destroyed. I will write a fix-it fic for almost any other shitty plot point across the MCU, but _not that_. That was the most useless ending ever, and I will never stop despising. Just so y'all know. :P


End file.
